5 Mistakes To Avoid In Sales
Sales is not about selling your product. It's about getting results for your client. Then overdelivering in customer service.
To generate more sales, you need to understand overcoming objections, negotiation, sales process, prospecting, mindset, presentation skills, psychology, EQ, marketing and LinkedIn. These will be covered in upcoming newsletters.
Everybody works in sales, yet most people struggle with selling. Here’s 5 things you should avoid in sales that will help you get better results in the future.
- Using LinkedIn the wrong way
Having a profile that isn’t optimised. Not writing content that engages with people, only talking about you / your product / your service and not supporting others. Flip these around and you will find that your sales will improve.
Success of any kind takes consistency and putting in the work. There are no easy routes to sales success, so please don’t chase them.
2. Writing Bad Emails
“I wish I had more emails,” said no client ever. Your clients need better quality of emails. So avoid the following:
❌ Making the email too long. People are busy, get to the point.
❌ Talking about you / your product / your service. It’s never about you, only about how you can help.
❌ Not making the email mobile-friendly since 80% of emails are read on mobile.
❌ Cliches like "I want 15 minutes for a meeting. Are you free Tuesday or Thursday?”
Your email is to get their attention and interest, not book a meeting.
3. Lack of Testimonials
People who say you’ve done great work make the business process easier and quicker. Testimonials give you extra branding, awareness and credibility.
You’re missing out on revenue without testimonials on your website and updated LinkedIn recommendations.
The best time to ask is not when you deliver what you promise – that’s your job. It’s when you overdeliver for the customer. So how do you ask for a testimonial?
Ask the client what it was like working with you. Did you overdeliver? What results did you get?
Take notes, send that to them in an email or LinkedIn recommendation and ask them to approve. Sometimes they will tweak it in their own words and send it back. Many people don’t know how to write testimonials, so make life easier and write it for them. They will usually make changes and that’s okay.
Testimonials look good on your website and social media platforms and often help in winning pitches.
4. Giving Up Too Quickly
Most people give up after 1 attempt. Then you have those who spam repeatedly, even after you tell them no.
Sales takes time and effort. Anywhere from 3-12 touch points depending on the size of the company. If they don’t reply to your email, sending another email, then another is a waste of time. LinkedIn voice notes are one of the best ways to get a response because most people don’t use them. Try picking up the phone. Promote their content on LinkedIn and tag them in. Use Whatsapp voice notes. Attend a networking event they’re going to. Multi-platform selling always gets the best results
5. Speaking To One Person
There may be 1 decisionmaker, however, there’s lots of people involved in the buying process. Never ask “are you a decisionmaker?” The person will normally say yes to avoid you contacting anyone else. Also, it’s cliched.
A more effective way to deal with this is with a frame, then a strong question:
“From my experience of dealing with companies like yours, there’s more than one person involved in the decisionmaking process. Who else do we need to influence?”
You sound more professional and it’s a team effort. You break down their resistance and are more likely to get a positive answer.
The more value you give, the less you have to sell.
